No issues expected with Bregman’s recovery
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — In another step toward recovery from arthroscopic elbow surgery, third baseman Alex Bregman took ground balls and threw across the diamond for the second day in a row on Tuesday.
Bregman said he “backed up and kind of threw a lot longer” than he’d originally anticipated. The reigning All-Star Game MVP did some quick-release and backhand plays, too, while manager A.J. Hinch observed.
“He’s itching to do more and more every day,” Hinch said. “He’s in really good shape, and based on where he’s at, we’re not anticipating any issues. We have a lot of time, so we’re going to bring him along slowly.”
Bregman underwent surgery to remove floating bone chips in his right elbow on Jan. 11, an issue that had plagued him since his major league debut in 2016.
The organization is still targeting early March for Bregman’s Grapefruit League debut. Bregman reiterated on Tuesday he will be fine for opening day against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 28.
Though he took batting practice on Tuesday off a pitching machine, Bregman has yet to hit on the field in West Palm Beach.
“Got a long way to go with my swing right now,” Bregman said. “But other than that, my body feels great, which is most important right now.”
Biggio takes break from family time
Craig Biggio took a break from his family-fueled Florida February to join the Astros’ camp on Tuesday as a guest instructor.
On the first day of multiple live batting practice sessions, Biggio spent most of his afternoon behind the batting cage on the major league field, where most of the Astros regulars faced live pitching for the first time during camp.
The Hall of Famer will remain with the team through Friday, he said, doing “whatever (manager
A.J. Hinch) wants me to do.” “It’s not teaching. These guys are good; they know what they’re doing,” Biggio said. “It’s just that every now and then, you could have a little difference of opinion on something, just some conversation (or) general conversation.”
Biggio has been busy in Florida. His daughter, Quinn, hit her first collegiate home run in the Notre Dame softball team’s 7-6 loss to Cal on Saturday in Clearwater, Fla. Quinn, a freshman, is the team’s leading hitter through its first 10 games. Cavan Biggio, meanwhile, is in Dunedin on a non-roster invitation to Blue Jays spring training. Baseball America ranks him the No. 9 prospect in Toronto’s system.
“We’ll see what happens,” Craig said. “We’re excited about him. He’s working hard and looks great. He’s going to go out there and compete, and that’s all you can do.
“(Cavan) is a pretty smart baseball guy. He picks up a lot, he listens a lot, and I think that’s one of his strong suits.”
10 spring TV games begin on Sunday
AT&T SportsNet Southwest said Tuesday it will telecast 10 Astros spring training games beginning Sunday in addition to a 155-game regular-season schedule.
The preseason schedule begins at 11:30 a.m. Sunday against the Braves and will include eight home games plus two away games against the Nationals, who share the team’s training site in West Palm Beach.
Other spring games include Monday and March 11 against the Mets; Feb. 27, March 10 and March 12 against the Nationals; Feb. 28 and March 14 against the Marlins; March 19 against the Phillies and March 20 against the Yankees.
The regular-season schedule begins March 28 against the Rays and includes all games except weekend games that might be picked up for national distribution. Todd Kalas and Geoff Blum will return as play-by-play announcer and analyst, respectively, with Julia Morales as field reporter. Kevin Eschenfelder and Mike Stanton will return as pregame and postgame host and analyst, respectively.